When the Bough Breaks
by Roguie
Summary: When you know you have the love of all eternity at your fingertips how long would you wait through hopelessness for it to return when lost?  Just because your body has forever, does your mind have the same luxury?  Rose/9, Rose/10, Rose/10.5, Rose/#?
1. The Years of Then

**A/N: Hmm, my muse is dark tonight. I've rated this for future chapters as when my muse starts being dark, she also tends to desperately hold onto thoughts of love. I can't list this as Rose/9 Rose/10 Rose/10.5 Rose/? as I'm not really given the option for multiple choices. However, I have a lot of time to cover here, so it touches on every possible Rose/Doctor paring for my timeline. And yes, I'm aware this has been done a thousand times, but not by me, so now I'm doing it. :D**

**Disclaimer: I so obviously don't own Doctor Who; I just like to borrow the characters and mutate their inner voices. Please don't sue, my house is small, my car is useless and my dogs are pains in the arse, but they're all I have.**

**When the Bough Breaks**

**By: Danae Bowen**

**Part One: The Years of Then**

They say that once you've heard the TARDIS, you'd recognize the creaking, groaning, whining sound she made from miles away. You just know, without fail, no matter how long it's been since you've heard her, that she's come home. Those that have heard her have no choice, even if they're not conscious of it - they're always waiting for that unmistakeable grind to precede the appearance of the beloved blue box.

Rose Tyler spent her life waiting. Waiting for the next alien invasion she'd have to help stop. Waiting for the next cataloguer to disrupt her existence. Waiting for the next piece of tech Torchwood wanted her opinion on. Waiting for that tiny piece of coral to grow into a new TARDIS to take her far from home. Waiting for the doctors to explain to her why, no matter how hard they tried, no children ever filled her womb. Waiting for the tears to stop flowing as she lowered her mum's body into the ground. Her dad's. Her brother's. Waiting for grey hair to break up the natural brown she'd allowed to come back in. Waiting for the next breath to pass her husband's lips with no hope of ever hearing his heart beat again. Waiting for a wrinkle to obscure her features, dimming of her eyesight, difficulty breathing, difficulty remembering. Waiting for the walls between dimensions to grow thin again allowing travel between worlds. Waiting for the unmistakeable sound of her TARDIS returning to her. Waiting for her Doctor. Waiting for her death.

She was born on a different world, on the 27th of April, 1987, although if you asked her now, she'd grin at you and shrug her shoulders rather than admit to her birth date. No one would believe anyway. She'd lived normally those first few years, raised by a mother who loved her dearly, dated immature boys, dropped out of school in favour of finding work. All things expected of a lower income London teenager. Everything changed, however, on the 6th of March, 2005. Oh, she's quite sure that at some point the Doctor realized she'd lied to him, but when he reached out his hand and asked her to come with him, she couldn't bring herself to tell him she was only seventeen. She'd be eighteen soon enough, what was one more year on top of that? So, she let him believe she was nineteen, old enough to make her own decisions, counting on his own blurring of timelines to refuse him the mathematics that would let him know the love of his life was barely old enough to legally drive a car.

Her youth, her love, her life - it was something he needed desperately but didn't know at the time. Occasionally he'd offer her a slight touch, a squeeze of the hand, little gestures that kept her moving forward despite the fact she was burning from the inside out. His blue eyes would sparkle and she would lose track of what she'd been saying. His fingers would caress her skin and she'd forget what dangers they were facing. His breath would flutter the long blonde strands of her hair, and she would gladly have laid her life down at his feet. She loved him so desperately, so completely, with such abandon and determination that her own life became forfeit without him - and so died the Rose Tyler she'd been, born in her place Bad Wolf, created from the love that grew solid between them.

"_I want you safe, my Doctor," _

Laid before him, stripped bare of her humanity, there was only Bad Wolf filled with the power of the time vortex. She knew he saw only Rose Tyler, knew his actions were to save what was left of the girl he'd brought so far from her home, and she didn't have the heart to tell him that when he changed, so did she. Gone were his blue eyes, big ears and northern accent. Gone was the leather jacket that had kept her warm on so many different planet surfaces. In place there were warm chocolate eyes, a skinny youthful body and some really great hair. Leather changed to a suit and tie, and when she was lucky his dark glasses would notch up his attractiveness just that much higher. Out of respect for his sacrifice, Rose buried Bad Wolf deep inside her. Thoughts of destruction and power hidden away, knowledge she'd gained locked deep inside the library of her mind. Some would have thought it a difficult process, having all the power of Gods at her fingertips and instead choosing to return to being the slightly dim teenaged girl she'd always thought herself, but he made it so simple. She continued to laugh as they ran, let him save the day without interference, and allowed time to play out exactly as it had always been intended. The universe didn't need Bad Wolf, but the Doctor needed Rose Tyler and the universe needed the Doctor. Paradox at its finest, and so she complied willingly and full heartedly, taking the emotional evisceration provided her without fundamentally altering the fabric of reality to serve her own needs.

Time marched on. Ten years to one, her world to his. Humanity surged and prospered, changed and grew, and everyone she loved died around her. When her husband's single heart pumped out it's final beat, his lungs no longer expanding to fill with oxygen, and the doctor's pulled that white sheet up to cover his face, Rose lay down on the bed next to him as she wept her loneliness into his cold, silent chest.

Rose Tyler had died three times in her life - once when the Bad Wolf saved her beloved Doctor, once when Pete Tyler caught her at Canary Warf and ripped her away from her second heart, and once lying on a cot in a sterile hospital room, zeppelins outside the window blocking the sun, sobbing into her dead lover's body. Rose Tyler abandoned the last of her humanity that absurdly warm afternoon, and allowed the Bad Wolf to come out of slumber, to take away her pain.

Without her husband at her side, the pretence that she was normal no longer held. She emptied their outrageously stocked bank accounts, packed a single bag that she slung over her shoulder, and without a single look back at what had been her home for years she stepped out into the chilling twilight, leaving the London night lights coming alive in her wake.

She knew only one other place on this world that had any connection to the girl she'd once been, so that's where she headed. Norway. Dårlig Ulv Stranden. Bad Wolf Bay. She commissioned a home to be built on the rocky shore, fifty meters from where she'd last seen the Doctor while the Bad Wolf slept. A tent sheltered her body for months while her home was constructed - three simple rooms, each wall built of impenetrable glass, allowing her to look out at the world but molecularly altered so that no one could look in. In the center room stood her TARDIS, grown from a single piece of coral left to her, always in the form of a blue police box as Rose couldn't have it any other way. She'd had it shipped from storage in London, the last link to her old life, all final ties dissolved. Supplies came once a month, dropped by helicopter onto her beach, always more than she required - she hadn't missed a single thing.

So, she waited. Alone but for her TARDIS. Alive without life. Nourished without growth. Aged without deteriorating. Her dark hair grew long, past her chest, her waist, her knees. Her jeans traded for simple linen robes. Her body always kept perfect even as her mind fled to live amongst the stars. Each morning she watched the sun rise, each night the sun set - tides came and licked the bottoms of her feet, only to be drained back out as the moon shifted position. She slept when she needed to. Ate when she was hungry. Always the human, but so much more.

The universe moved forward, but still she waited.

~~~~ TBC

**A/N: Please read and review - the more reviews she recieves, the faster and harder my muse works - she says it's to please, but really it's just to get more reviews. TY.**


	2. Forty Six Years, Nine Months

**A/N: Okay, so since a timeline was never established between Pete's World and the original, I'm going with a ten years to one timeline for the pure simple math timesing things by ten allows. The next three chapters are written - but my nerves are delaying the posting because this isn't the way I was taking this fiction a month ago and now it's found a life of its own. I'll have to see how comfortable I am as I reread the chapters for editing. **

**Word of warning, this is rather a filler chapter - no story meat in sight.**

**Disclaimer: I so obviously don't own Doctor Who; I just like to borrow the characters and mutate their inner voices. Please don't sue, my house is small, my car is useless and my dogs are pains in the arse, but they're all I have.**

**When the Bough Breaks**

**By: Danae Bowen**

**Part Two: Forty Six Years, Nine Months**

What lives he'd lived. Glorious lives. Fantastic Lives. Brilliant Lives. He'd met so many people that shared his time. They never failed to bring a bright smile to his lips, his eyes sparkling as he thought of them.

Martha Jones - never a simpering human, always the soldier. Even those first hours in the hospital, the upwards rain, the barrenness of the moon, she'd been by his side every step of the way. Oh, he'd known she was special, even when she left him to care for her family after the year that never was. Martha. He was so proud of his Martha Jones.

Donna Noble - oh what he'd give to step in on her life now, hear her fabulous voice, even take a smack or two as she laughed at his new face. Oi, Spaceman, she'd say, what've you gone off 'n done now? But Donna was far out of reach, her memories gone and that was all right, because she lived on. The world needed Donna Noble.

Amy Pond - what a girl that Amy Pond. Brilliant, funny, completely alive no matter what was thrown at her. Still checked in on her now and then, her and Rory and the family they've built. The universe moves on, but she'll always be the girl that waited in the garden. The girl that pulled him across the void and out of the darkness.

Sarah Jane Smith - long gone now, his Sarah Jane, but her family lives on and carries on both their memories. She'd stayed with him longer than anyone, always there when he needed her, always there when Earth needed her and the loss of her left an emptiness in his hearts that couldn't be replaced. Human lives are so short, so fleeting. There and then gone. Even if she had lived well into her seventies.

Even now, almost a lifetime later, his thoughts stray to his first companion after the Time War. Walking mannequins, buildings exploding, bouncing blonde hair, warm fingers in his.

_"Nice to meet you, Rose. Run for your life!"_

He should have walked away that night, never gone back, but at the end of every path there she was. Rose Tyler. Strawberry scented shampoo. Too much mascara. Perfectly fit jeans. Your every day average London teenager, except she was more. So much more. He asked her aboard, and she turned him down, so he asked again. Somehow, it didn't seem right until she flashed him that grin, the one that told him it would be Rose and the Doctor against the world, even before she knew him fully. When she took his hand, disappearing into the TARDIS and leaving her human life at the doorstep, whole pieces of his existence dropped into place. His days had been bleak before her, and though he'd lived many extraordinary years since, had fantastic adventures with the ones that followed, nothing, nothing had come close to Rose Tyler.

His thoughts drifted to the decisions he'd made, the ones best for his Rose. The first time he'd sent her away had been at Satellite 5, only to have her returned to him a goddess in form as well as thought. Bad Wolf - words scattered through time to warn him of impending doom, and always they brought with them Rose. Why he thought it would work a second time, he'd no clue, but he'd sent her off again when he tried to close the pathways between worlds - again she'd come back. She was willing to sacrifice everything to be with him, and she did.

Turns out, third time really is the charm. The third and final time he'd sent her off, it'd been with a consolation prize - the meta-crisis him. A human Doctor - all the same thoughts, all the same memories, everything the Doctor was in a single hearted package. He convinced himself it was the best for everyone - he'd decided that life with the human him could potentially keep her in one place long enough for her to survive. As it stands, he was right; she never came back after that.

The walls between the worlds had grown thin in the last ten years; he knew that if he asked, the TARDIS would be more than capable of slipping past the barriers and returning him to Pete's World. He also knew that human life was short and fragile; where about fifty years had passed for him (_forty six years, nine months, twenty two days, ten hours, and seven minutes_) since he'd turned his back on her at Dårlig Ulv Stranden, four hundred had passed on Pete's World. Ten days to every day. Ten months to every month. Ten years to every year. Four hundred sixty seven years, five months and six days.

There was no purpose in going back to Pete's World, nothing for the Doctor there now. Rose had been gone for centuries. Ten years ago he thought about visiting, after all, in a way her descendants would be his - genetically. Great-great-great-great grandchildren could be running amok - maybe even out in the TARDIS he'd given them to grow. Time Lord's without time.

His fingers twitched on the TARDIS console, buttons pressed before he realized, levers pulled before he changed his mind.

Ten years ago he'd talked himself out of crossing over. Rather than dropping in unannounced on unsuspecting families, "Hello folks, multi-great granddad here, was in the neighbourhood and thought I'd drop in for tea". Rather than chatting up an old love, laughing about years gone by, he knew he'd find himself at the foot of a centuries old gravestone, and rules he'd broken decades prior would come back to attack him with a full fresh force he'd not felt in years.

The TARDIS groaned her distaste for their destination, but came to life under his tender caress. Lights flashed, the world rocked, another button pressed and they were off, creaking and grinding their way across the universe.

When they finally came to a stop, the TARDIS giving one last great groan before settling into the white sand beneath her, the Doctor felt a moment of pause once again. Dårlig Ulv Stranden. Bad Wolf Bay. The last time he stood on this beach he'd sent off his heart with his clone. He ran a hand through his hair, pacing the control room uneasily, now that he was here finding himself unable to leave the safety of his home.

He sighed. When Sarah Jane had died, he'd been at her funeral, standing next to Jack, Martha, Mickey and others. He'd accepted her death as natural, found closure as they'd filled in the grave. His grief was powerful but short lived - humans only have so much time, and then they're gone; it's just the way life is. He'd never been able to accept that Rose was truly gone; this place called to him. The draw grew greater as the corridors grew thinner, the need to be here, the need to see her truly gone.

He swallowed painfully, pulling sunglasses from the pocket of his bomber jacket. He slipped them over his green eyes, shading them against the powerful light the monitor showed burning down over the bay. Nervous hands slipped into the pockets of his jeans, then back out and into the pockets of his jacket. He fiddled with his sonic screwdriver, stepped forward and opened the doors.

He'd forgotten the beauty of Bad Wolf Bay, the white sand and blue water reflecting the powerful light shining down. He'd also forgotten until this moment that he was in Norway. Any traces of Rose to be found would likely be in London. Brilliant effort there, only a dozen hours by car… if he had a car. Or any way to get to a car.

He looked around, noting only one house anywhere near his current location. No roads, no neighbours, not even a dock and a boat. Nothing even suggesting the house had a tenant, but still he stuffed his hands back in his pockets and turned towards the small building. Jackie had managed to drive Rose out here centuries before - civilization had to have grown since then, this house certainly hadn't been there. There had to be a town nearby, otherwise how would anyone living here support themselves? Oi, someone had to be somewhere! He needed to get to London, which left him only one option. Time to meet the locals.

~~~~TBC


	3. The Locals

**A/N: Hmm, my muse pleased me with this chapter. Was really quite happy with it overall, although you can obviously tell I spend far too much time watching 10, his voice is most predominant when I think Doctor. I appreciate the encouragement to continue with the fiction, so I figured I'd throw up part three while I mulled over the next two bits. I'll have part four up tomorrow I think, and with some luck five before the end of the week. I'm a fanatical editor, so it takes me a bit when I'm going over my own work.**

**Disclaimer: I so obviously don't own Doctor Who; I just like to borrow the characters and mutate their inner voices. Please don't sue, my house is small, my car is useless and my dogs are pains in the arse, but they're all I have.**

**When the Bough Breaks**

**By: Danae Bowen**

**Part Three: The Locals**

He hadn't taken more than five steps towards the odd glass house when a small voice called to him down the beach.

"Oi, mister! You don't wanna do that!"

He turned, squinting in the sunlight to see a young boy making his way towards him up the sandy shore. With a shrug the Doctor abandoned his direction and moved to meet the boy, only then noticing the adult male following closely behind him.

"Yeah? Why's that then?"

The boy shrugged. "Doesn't much like visitors, old girl there. Likes her privacy."

The Doctor's eyes travelled from the boy to the adult, so close in appearance he had no doubt the elder was the child's father. "I would figure living all the way out here. Dårlig Ulv Stranden. Last time I was here nobody lived in the area. Real private spot, Bad Wolf Bay."

The elder male frowned. "Reckon you're wrong, mate. Old girl's lived here longer than us all. Never comes to town, just sits on those stones, watching out over the water. Dunno know what she's watching for, don't much care, but I reckon it ain't comin'." He shrugged. "Locals don't come up here much." He frowned down at his son. "'Cept for foolish boys that think they're helping."

The boy sighed with exasperation. "I am helping, Da! She can't do it all herself. They drop the crates on the beach, way down from her house. How's the ol' girl s'posed to get it all inside with no one there for her?"

The Doctor looked down at the boy. "She has what dropped? Food?"

The boy nodded. "Food 'n stuff for the house. She really doesn't ever go to town, dunno if she's got a computer or nothing for talkin' cause when you go inside, it's all empty. All the rooms except the middle one, 'n that box's just for her clothes."

"So you've seen her then?"

The boy grinned. "'Course, mister! All sorts'a times."

The Doctor reached out and ruffled the boys hair, turning to look curiously at the glass house. "Tell me then, what's your old girl look like?"

The child's mouth opened quickly, then paused, a stroke of confusion crossing his face. "Uh.. She wears this robe thing, always white 'n it's hooded. She says it's cause the sun'll dry up her skin if she's not careful." He chewed his lip carefully. "Uh, I know she's got brown eyes!"

A frown pulled at the Doctor's lips. "And her face? Her hair?"

The boy swallowed nervously. "I… I don't remember, mister, I'm sorry."

The boy's father stepped forward, reaching out a hand. "Sorry, Mister, but who're you? My name is Franklin Black, 'n this is my boy Stanley. We got talking 'n you never said."

The Doctor shook the man's hand with grace before turning back to eye the house. "Oh, I'm the Doctor."

"Doctor…?"

As he'd done a thousand times in the past, and was likely to a thousand times in the future, the Doctor shrugged. "Just the Doctor."

"All right, so why're you so interested in the old girl, Doctor?"

"Oh, I wasn't really until your boy realized that after all the times he's seen the woman, he can't remember what she looks like. You mentioned seeing her Mr. Black. You tell me, how's this old girl look, then?" The Doctor's eyebrow cocked up, and he reached into his pocket for his sonic screwdriver.

The man frowned. "Haven't seen her close up, really, just from a distance, y'know? Like the boy said, white robe, hood, brown eyes. Rest is pretty much a blur."

"Really? Like a too far away blur? Or a I really don't want to remember blur? 'Cause if it's a too far away blur, how would you know her eye colour?" A quick flick of his wrist and the Doctor scanned both father and son with the sonic. "Hmm."

"What's hmm?"

"Oh, nothing. Just looking for alien tampering, no need to worry."

Franklin started, pulling Stanley close to him. "All right, I'm worried, Doctor."

"Nyah, no need, honest! 'Sides, no evidence of aliens on you. Still, can't help but wonder exactly why the old girl doesn't want to be remembered. How long's she lived here, did you say?"

"I didn't."

"Why's that then? Seemed to have quite an interest in her history when we first talked, but didn't say any specifics. How long?"

The man shrugged. "I dunno that we have the specifics anymore, Doctor. Myth says she's been here better than four hundred years. House was commissioned four hundred and thirty some years ago by a very powerful family, only the family never came. There's legend of a single piece of furniture arriving by shipping a month after the house was built, but no details. There's a small heli-port in town about an hour away; privately owned now. Same time's the house was built, they say the same family gave the business over a half million pounds to set up the supply drop off. Since then, every six months a hundred thousand is delivered to them by post. They retired, died o'course, but the ancestors keep on with the arrangement. No questions asked after this much time's passed, 'n well, it's practically free money if you ask me."

"So, if you don't mind my asking, if no one comes up here, 'n no one has anything to do with her, how did it come to be your son brings in her groceries, so to speak?"

Franklin sighed, running a hand through his hair. "We're a good people, here, Doctor. We earn our way, respect others, and try to raise our children the same. However," he laid a hand on his son's shoulder, "Children have tendencies to stretch their boundaries. Regrettably, I have to admit it's become a coming of age ritual for the boys of our village to spend a night on this beach at the age of twelve. They come in groups of three or four, it's harmless really, just a test of courage." He shrugged. "Boy's'll be boys, y'know? Nobody gets hurt 'n she doesn't seem to mind, really. Sometimes when a few of the lads bugger off from fear, she kinda… hires one of the brave'uns to work for her. Just little chores, mind you, bringing in her supplies, taking away the garbage. She sends what she doesn't need for herself home with them, 'n it helps, y'know? Times're hard, these days. Jobs are a bit far between since the war twenty years back. Sometimes there isn't enough to go 'round."

The Doctor nodded slowly, glancing between Franklin and the glass house. "So, she's good to the boys, 'n helps out the locals… yet she's a four hundred year old creature of myth, 'n you're terrified of her? Got it all then, have I?"

Franklin nodded quietly, all at once confused at his own statements. Stanley looked up at the Doctor and grinned. "And she glows."

Both adults looked down at the boy, the Doctor blinking in surprise. "What?"

Stanley shrugged, "Sometimes she glows."

"What do you mean, glows?"

The boy rolled his eyes, "When she sits outside, especially at night, 'n it's kinda like a fire. All warm 'n fuzzy. Kinda yellow really, maybe a bit orange." He shrugged. "I only remembered cause I was tryin' to remember her face, 'n all I could see was the glow. She's real pretty when she glows, Doctor."

"Stanley, I think you should take me to meet your friend," The expression on the Doctor's face was unreadable, his green eyes uncertain behind the dark glasses.

"I dunno if she'd like that," Stanley muttered softly.

The Doctor sighed, running a hand through his short red hair. "All right, fair enough. Off you go then, Stanley. Franklin, take the boy home. I'm going to meet your old girl myself, 'n if she's as against this as you think she will be, then you may not want to be here when I do."

Franklin swallowed nervously, reaching a hand out to shake the Doctor's. "I wish you luck, Doctor."

The Time Lord cocked his head to the side, eagerness and curiosity lightening his features. "Luck only gets you so far, friend, believe me. This time, though, I don't think I'll need it. Reality rarely lives up to the myth, hmm?"

With a grin and a hop in his step, the Doctor turned and walked away from father and son, waiting just long enough to see them disappear into the distance before picking his way across the rocks and slowly approaching the quiet glass house that loomed before him.

~~~TBC


	4. A Quick Injection of Humanity

**A/N: Next chapter is written in full, just doing some editing now, it is a far longer piece than I'd expected! Thank you everyone for your reviews, they're most appreciated and well received! Chapter five will most definitely be up by tomorrow at the latest, bit of a delay mostly due to the one shot that begged to be written this afternoon… and yes that was a shameless plug (*cough* Afternoon Tea *cough*). Still, I figured while I was sitting here reloading my emails, pathetically awaiting reviews on the one shot… I'd toss up part four of Bough. :D Just another filler chapter, but the story meat is definitely up next. :D**

**Disclaimer: I so obviously don't own Doctor Who; I just like to borrow the characters and mutate their inner voices. Please don't sue, my house is small, my car is useless and my dogs are pains in the arse, but they're all I have.**

**When the Bough Breaks**

**By: Danae Bowen**

**Part Four: A Quick Injection of Humanity**

When the skies filled with the creaking, groaning, whining sound she'd waited lifetimes to hear again, Rose Tyler froze in place. Where moments before she could count her heart's beats per minute on a single hand, now her fingers rested against her chest, hoping they could hold her heart in place. Her head swum in memories, all choking her at once: big ears, daft face, leather jacket, brown eyes, some really great hair, brown suit, trainers, freckles, blue suit, different coloured trainers, single heartbeat, still great hair and gorgeous glasses. Each face in memory had one thing in common, they'd all left her behind. Daft face on Satellite 5, brown suit steps from here, blue suit through death.

She'd waited so very long for the TARDIS to return, and now, with the ship mere meters from her front door, she was unable to take a single step forward. She turned her back on the sight of the blue box waiting for her, and exited the house quickly through the side door. Her nimble feet found purchase on the rocks as she climbed, sitting directly in the path of the sunlight, watching the activity unfold on her beach in numbed silence.

Her eyes glowed amber with fondness as she watched her young Stanley approach the familiar stranger on her shores. Bless his little soul, protecting her from unwanted company. Every few years she took a new young lad into her life, watching him grow, helping to fill the void of loneliness that threatened to swallow her. As her life grew to legend amongst the locals, she'd noticed the rite of passage for the boys, always so fearful of her; it started only sixty years ago that when one boy was left alone by his fearful mates, she'd approach, calling out with her ancient voice so rarely used. The ones that fought their fear and reached out to her, she accepted whole heartedly. They were allowed into her world, knew her secrets, seen her at her best and her worst moments. The burn inside her allowed her to blur the memories they had of her, letting them remember a vague visage, comfort, and always her eyes. There used to be a saying that eyes were the windows to the soul; the last thing she wanted to do was hide her soul from their innocent hearts.

As she sat on those rocks watching that precious boy talk, she cut her hair, something she did only every few dozen years. Today, her actions were out of nervousness rather than necessity, her mind staying sharp and focussed as the sharp blades whistled past her ears, shaping the style. Long locks dropped from her shoulders, decades of growth falling to the ground. When the cut was straight, she lifted her hood back over her head, and reached down for the discarded ropes of her hair. To keep her fingers busy while she watched Franklin Black fill her visitor in on her history, she braided the fallen hair into a thick rope, strand after strand, inch after inch, sucking her lower lip between her teeth nervously.

She could tell he'd changed, even from this distance. No, the jeans and bomber jacket were definitely not her Doctor's. One regeneration? Two maybe? She couldn't be certain. The red hair brought a smile to her lips, however, and she shook her head softly. New, new, new, new Doctor. Not that she was the same; physically she couldn't tell you what was different about her, she didn't have a single mirror in her home or in her TARDIS. Best not to know sometimes, although right now she wished she had some way of knowing what he'd see when he finally made his way up to her house. A vain thought, something she figured she was far beyond, but there it was, and it made her smile. A quick injection of humanity into an otherwise abnormal life.

It occurred to her that she had no explanation for the Doctor to define her presence so long after her human life should have ended. When all was said and done, it seemed like such a cop out to claim that the time vortex energy had done this to her.

_I am the Bad Wolf. I create myself._

Should have created myself with a self destruct button, then.

She sighed, chewing lightly on her lower lip. No, that wasn't exactly true. She was sure if she'd decided it was time the energy would release her to whatever fate was chosen; it had just never been the proper moment. As much as she played she had no recollection of the time vortex, that was more for her Doctor's sake than her own. He'd sacrificed a life for her, pulling the energy from her until her eyes stopped glowing and he thought he'd had it all. What remained spread through her body, maturing her cells and stopping. As the Bad Wolf, Rose Tyler became time itself; she controlled everything as a proper Goddess should. Bringing back Jack made him a fixed point, no way possible for him to cease to exist. For her? Time just ceased to be unless she otherwise demanded. Hair would remain the same length if she didn't will it to grow. Nails never needed clipping. She never had a wrinkle or a grey hair. Never aged a day. She lied to the Doctor about her age when he first asked her to come with, and less than a year had passed before the events at Satellite 5 that led to the Bad Wolf.

Immortal at the age of 18; every girl's dream was Rose Tyler's reality.

Her breath caught in her chest and her normally pale cheeks flushed as she watched the Doctor bid farewell to Franklin and Stanley Black before turning to walk up the path to her house. She'd waited four hundred and sixty seven years for this.

She swallowed heavily, ensured her hood shadowed her face and turned her back to his approach. When this was over she'd have to give a severe talking to her stomach which chose this exact moment to try and revolt.

Dear God, he's almost here.

~~~~TBC


	5. The More Things Change

**A/N: Oh the nerves tonight. One last read through, I've been telling myself for an hour.. One last read through and I'll post, but then I read again, find something else to change and it starts over, with one last read through, and then I'll post. **

**First, thank you everyone who continues to read and review; you all make me smile, and the time you've taken to review is greatly appreciated. **

**Second, I love this chapter, and I truly, truly hope you all do as well. My muse has outdone herself once and for all. This chapter is twice the length of any other in this fiction, as neither Rose nor the Doctor would quit talking once they started; four hundred years is a lot of time to stay silent, I suppose.**

**Third, the next chapter will be delayed a few days as my work schedule through Saturday is horrific. I do, however, promise to have the next bit posted no later than Sunday evening.**

**Disclaimer: I so obviously don't own Doctor Who; I just like to borrow the characters and mutate their inner voices. Please don't sue, my house is small, my car is useless and my dogs are pains in the arse, but they're all I have.**

**When the Bough Breaks**

**By: Danae Bowen**

**Part Five: The More Things Change….**

Oh, there she is and isn't she beautiful?

A wild grin broke the Doctor's features as he let himself into the glass house, having knocked on the door and receiving no response. He'd had his suspicions from Stanley Black's description, but he couldn't be sure, not until now.

"Gorgeous!"

He walked around her, marvelling at her differences, even more astounded by her similarities.

"Aw, Rose."

It came out a whisper as he reached a hand out and allowed his long fingers to wistfully stroke the wooden door of the TARDIS, the only piece of furniture inside the entire house.

"You grew her, you actually managed to do it!"

He pushed on the doors, surprised to find them locked. He tried his key, but there was no surprise when it didn't fit. After all, this wasn't his TARDIS, not his home. With a final pat to the familiar wooden texture, he turned, looking out the manufactured glass walls, finally noticing the solitary figure upon the rocks. His hearts launched into his throat at the sight of the tiny body, wrapped in white cloth, her back to his gaze though he was fairly sure she knew he was here. There was a bounce to his step as he moved out of the house and carefully picked his way over the rocks until he stood only three feet behind her.

"Quite the view from up here."

Her small body shivered and nodded at him silently, not turning.

"Bet you could watch the entire beach from here and not miss a thing." Again he was met with silence. "What'd'ya say? Ten quid?"

Her body froze, her heart beating so loudly he could almost count the time. He sighed.

"Not feeling very talkative? S'pose that's a good thing, since this body's just as bad as the last two, just won't ever shuttup, so lemme try here. Ten years passed, and you started to notice that you weren't changing? Not a lick, not a tick, same old same old every day. Another ten years passed and people started looking at you odd, cause you're still just a girl when you should'a been forty?" He reached down and laid a hand on her shoulder. "I understand more than you think, y'know? Can tell by just your energy, just the way you feel here in front of me what you've gone through just the same as I could Jack. Another ten years, maybe fifteen went past and everyone started dying around you? Jackie? Pete?" He paused. "The other me, even?"

The stiffness left her body, her shoulders slumped forward. Finally, a reaction.

"Ah, yeah. Watched him wither 'n die, nothing you could do to stop it, 'n there you stood not a day over twenty with no one left to hold you." He pressed his lips to the top of her hooded head, running his fingers down her arms softly. "Did he at least explain why?"

Her voice was rough with lack of use, "The Bad Wolf."

He nodded, "The Bad Wolf, sitting on a cliff at Bad Wolf Bay, glowing in the dark." He paused, stepping back and looking out over her beach before back to her silent form. "Howl at any moons lately, Rose Tyler?"

She finally turned, her face still hidden beneath her hood, but her painfully familiar dark eyes met his.

"Hello!"

She swallowed heavily, "Hello, Doctor."

His smile could have made a supernova jealous as he reached out and pulled her stiff body to his, hugging her against his unfamiliar muscles.

"What'd'ya think then? Finally got ginger! S'pose I spent enough time with Donna 'n Amy it was bound to happen."

He stepped back from her warm body, grinning from ear to ear as he slipped off his sunglasses.

"Green eyes to go with, too!"

"Gone quite a bit the mick, yeah?"

"Aw, there it is, knew you were in there somewhere. Now, c'mon, don't be shy, take that thing off 'n let me have a look at you, beautiful girl!"

She slipped the hood off her head watching his eyes as he took in first her brown hair, then her pale skin, her dark eyes that glowed just a bit yellow, the delicate bones of her cheeks and jaw, the vast expanse of her neck. He sighed happily, reaching out to brush a stray lock of her hair from her face.

"The brown hair suits you; I like it."

"Bit plain for me, honest, but y'know, out here, didn't seem to matter much." She smiled. Four hundred years gone and it was just so simple to fall back into being that star struck teenager who followed the Doctor around like a puppy. He made it all so very easy.

His eyes darkened, a look of sadness crossing his youthful features. "Four hundred years of life, and you look the same as the day I left you." He brushed a finger over her collar bone, urging her to meet his gaze. "Your sweet voice… don't you ever speak?" She only shrugged in answer, returning her glance to the ground. He urged her chin up, refusing to allow her to avoid his questions. "You never speak, never go to town, you've sat out here for centuries doing what, Rose?"

"Dunno, really. Waiting, I s'pose."

His breath caught in his throat, his expression hard. "For me?"

She shrugged. "For you. For death. For something and nothing all at once, yeah? Didn't know really, just knew it was best for everyone if I didn't exist. The legend of Rose Tyler, Pete Tyler's immortal daughter that appeared from outta nowhere 'n then disappeared when everyone died. Torchwood does a good job forgetting I'm here so long's I don't draw attention to myself."

The Doctor ran a hand through his hair, frustrated at himself, with the position she'd been left in. "But you're alone, Rose! How… how've you not… well…"

She smiled, cocking her head to the side. "Go on, Doctor, spit it out."

"How've you not gone insane?" This time he was the one to lower his eyes, guilt radiating from their green depths.

Her smile was brighter than he'd seen since before Canary Warf, her eyes dancing with earnest pleasure. "Who says I've not?"

He blinked in surprise, frowning deeper. "You're here… house, TARDIS, alive?"

As he struggled to find the proper words, Rose returned to her previous position, perching on a rock and looking out over her beach. "The locals certainly think I'm a nutter… the ones that don't think I'm a witch come to steal away their children to boil, anyway. Imagine me, boiling children?" She laughed sharply.

"Rose…"

"Yeah, yeah. You want serious Rose, I s'pose. I can't give you what you want, Doctor. I'm not about to sit here crying and whinging on about how I've been so alone 'n making you feel all sorts of guilty about leaving me here, then. Also not gonna sit here screamin' at you over something you couldn't've guessed would happen, even if you did figure it out a little too quickly to be really surprised, yeah?" She breathed in deeply, reaching down to pick up her discarded hair, continuing to braid from where she'd left off, thinking over what she had to say. "I was just a kid when I took your hand and let you take me away from everything I knew, 'n I wanted to go, no doubt, but I was just a kid. I fell for you so hard, Doctor, no matter what face you were wearing, I loved you like nothing else in the world. 'You act like he hung the moon and the stars just for you, sweetheart," my mum used to say, 'n I think on some level I thought you had. Even when you tried to send me away, I just couldn't stay gone." She shrugged at that, turning her back to him before chewing on her lip, finding the least hurtful way to put her thoughts to words. "The last time was the straw, Doctor. You sent me away and saddled me with a lesser version of you, thinking that'd fix everything. I know what you were thinking, Doctor, 'n when I doubted you, he explained, but it was just a bit of plaster on a gaping wound. Oh, we got on all right, 'n I loved him; we had forty really good years together, 'n were mostly happy. We built our TARDIS like Donna said, but never went anywhere. Dunno if it was by choice or if something was wrong, but she's never flown, 'n after he died I never had the heart to try myself. So, I came here, back to Bad Wolf Bay, 'cause when he died it was the third worst day of my life, made sense to share it with the ground I stood upon for the first two."

The Doctor licked his lips as she finally stopped speaking, walking up behind her, resting his hands on her shoulders. "How… how did you manage all this for four hundred years? It must have been impossibly expensive."

Rose laughed, "Nothing's expensive when you've got Pete Tyler for a dad. Between what Pete left me for inheritance 'n what we made ourselves over the years working for Torchwood, I've got enough put away to easily survive the next millenia or more."

"You still haven't told me how you've managed to stay you." The Doctor muttered hesitantly, hands now stroking down her arms.

"Not on my own, that's for sure," she smiled sadly. "An old friend kept me company when I needed help."

He swallowed heavily. "Bad Wolf."

"Bad Wolf." Rose nodded. "When it started to become too much, when I started to overload, it was like splitting apart 'n letting someone else take over. My body would keep going on… eating, sleeping, waiting, and me… I dunno, I'd be somewhere else… kinda like going on holiday from myself. When I came back, everything was right again… I was calmer, more relaxed, 'n I could deal with it again. Sometimes it was for a day or two, once it was for more than ten years. When I got to thinking I couldn't live anymore, she lived for me."

"Oh, Rose," his voice broke gently as he kneeled behind her, resting his cheek against her back. "I never would have left you if I had any idea… any thought at all that this would happen."

"And yet, here we are. You all young 'n ginger, 'n me? Golden goddess, wicked witch, impossible princess, rough beast? Well, I dunno what I am, Doctor, but I'm here." Her head cocked to the side as she turned to face him, her brown eyes glowing warmly as she reached out to the familiar soul inside a stranger's body. Her cool fingertips traced his jaw line, her lips tugging upwards into a loving smile. "You're the Time Lord, Doctor, so tell me."

He leaned his head into the cup of her hand, closing his eyes, breathing her in deeply. "Tell you what, Rose?"

"Has _our _hour come 'round at last?"

As her voice broke, her breathing uneven, he opened his eyes. Time melted away, the years disappeared, and his impossible, beautiful teenaged companion stood before him, open and vulnerable. A large part of her expected him to turn, red hair and green eyes changing nothing as he left her a third time on the white sands of Bad Wolf Bay. As a result, her brown eyes yellowed, her touch growing warm as her nerves grew and consumed her courage.

"Shhh," he whispered softly, holding her hand tight to his skin, halting any chance she may have had to flee. Despite the great talent his latest lives had with words, he found himself speechless. Two hours ago, he'd been having a maudlin parade through his recent past. One hour ago he'd been expecting to torture himself at the grave of his greatest love. Fifteen minutes ago he found himself stunned at the will of the universe, always finding a way. Now? Now, he found himself staring into the infinite void of the future, paths and crossroads flowing endlessly before him, each one ending with Rose Tyler waiting with a single hand stretched towards him.

Two hours ago he'd been alone in the world.

"Doctor?"

Everything changed so quickly, no life was ever the same as the minute before.

"Doctor… I… I'm sorry, I shouldn't've pressed… It's been too long, I get it, yeah?"

Amy waited through an entire night - an eternity to a seven year old, outside, alone in the cold. Martha waited through the year that never was, spreading his word to the inhabitants of Earth, keeping hope alive. Sarah Jane waited half a life time, always hoping for the sound of the TARDIS engines to appear and take her back into the skies. Donna waited her entire life, never really knowing what she was waiting for, never remembering why her eyes were invariably drawn to the night horizon whenever a shooting star left it's brilliant trail. Jack waited more than a hundred years, burning with questions only the Doctor could answer. And Rose? Rose Tyler waited forever, literally forever, instinctively knowing that whether it was ten years or a thousand, her time with the Doctor had yet to end.

v~~~~

_You know what, they keep on trying to split us up, but they never ever will._

_Never say never, ever._

_v~~~~_

_Has our hour come 'round at last?_

_v~~~~_

_Tell me again, how long are you going to stay with me?_

_Forever._

_v~~~~_

After all the years, after all the loss…. Standing on the white sands of an impossible beach, in an impossible dimension, on an impossible planet, with his impossible Rose… Could it be that this was finally _his time?_

_TBC~~~~_


	6. Time Drops in Decay

**A/N: I am so very sorry about not posting on Sunday - I forgot we were going to the pumpkin patch with the kids and between corn mazes and pumpkin carving I just didn't have time to do any writing! Then came hell schedule at work, and well, blah blah woof woof days went by and I made myself a liar! Thank you for your patience and for waiting… this chapter is a bit of filler as we lead up to part seven which will be the final in this series. Again, thank you to those that continue to read and review; reviews are love and love is eternal chocolate chip cookies. I will have part seven up as soon as possible, although there will be one stand alone posted in between as it's almost finished as we speak.**

**Disclaimer: I so obviously don't own Doctor Who; I just like to borrow the characters and mutate their inner voices. Please don't sue, my house is small, my car is useless and my dogs are pains in the arse, but they're all I have. The final quote in this is from W.B. Yeats' Stolen Child. Don't judge me, I'm a Yeats addict.**

**When The Bough Breaks**

**By: Danae Bowen**

**Part Six: Time Drops in Decay**

Innocence, he supposed, was all in context. When he looked at Rose, in front him now or in his memories almost fifty years prior, the Doctor saw nothing but the pure innocence that radiated from the pink and yellow human he'd long since grown to love. She was certainly not innocent by any societal definition; a little sexy, a lot of fun, and a few sticky fingers he reckoned, but in the face of mind shattering revelations, her innocence prevailed. The existence of aliens, the end of the world, two encounters with the Cybermen, three full scale Dalek attacks, the hours long life and death of her own father… all of it crushing to any other human, yet Rose took it all in stride. She had promised him forever, and she never, not once ever, willingly left his side.

Years ago the danger had come too close to Martha's family for her comfort, and she'd run hard and fast - perhaps not back to the arms of her mum, but into the arms of UNIT. Close enough.

Donna had looked into the heart of the TARDIS, and it changed her into something that couldn't exist. A human with a Time Lord's brain - the exact opposite of what it had done to Rose.

He pulled himself from his reverie to raise his eyes to the human in question. She'd wandered off during his silence, moving over the rocks towards the height of the cliff, the twilight shadows growing longer as she pulled her hood back up over her head, distancing herself from the man for whom she'd waited centuries. Physically, emotionally, anyway she could find she drew herself into her own space, staring out over her beach as the light began to recede.

Time and again he'd sent her away, for her own protection partly… for his mainly. She'd become such a driving force in his life, such a beacon for love and innocence that he needed her to live more than he needed his next life. When all the destruction of the Time War came down on him, when all the darkness where Gallifrey once existed smothered him, it was Rose who broke through and brought a smile to his lips. From the moment he reached for her in the basement of Hennrick's, Rose Tyler was the keeper of a force far greater than anything ever seen by the Daleks or Cybermen. The Doctor feared Rose more than all the evils of the universe, as she held for him, firmly and without give, both his hearts beating rapidly in the palms of her hands.

"_Rose you've got to stop this! You've got to stop this now! You've got the entire vortex running through your head! You're gonna burn!"_

_Even now, even in his memories he could hear the harsh desperation break his voice as he stared up at her, helpless to stop the glow from encompassing her._

"_I want you safe, my Doctor, protected from the false God."_

_It was only then, as he watched her slowly burn he realized they were one and the same. His need to keep her safe was mirrored in her own expression, her own sacrifice as she threatened to lay her life down at his feet. Each suffered with the other, offering a surrender neither was willing to let the other make._

"_The sun and the moon, the day and night, but why do they hurt?"_

_The agony in her voice threatened to rip him apart, the tears coursing down her face as she looked at him, all powerful, completely helpless at once._

"_The power's gonna kill you and it's my fault!"_

_He fought the tears that threatened to choke him, images of the destruction of Gallifrey overlaying the yellow glow in Rose's eyes. The two burned together inside him, and helplessness began pressing him heavily into the ground._

"_I can see everything; all that is, all that was, all that ever could be."_

_Shock spurred him into action, pulling him to his feet as he stepped towards her, instantly understanding what was driving through her mind. For just one second, one moment in time, he understood Rose Tyler with complete clarity, and couldn't have loved her more._

"_That's what I see all the time, but doesn't it drive you mad?"_

"_My head…"_

"_Come here,"_

"…_Is killing me,"_

"_I think you need a doctor."_

_The kiss was entirely unnecessary, but the Doctor found himself drawn to her, needing to physically press upon both of them the realization that had finally hit home. They were made for each other, the Doctor and Rose, and as their lips meshed together, the burning glow encircling them both, heart beats racing, breath stalled in respective chests, they understood each other with such clarity, such reason that the power flowed effortlessly from her body to his. When the moment passed several short seconds later and she collapsed bonelessly into his arms, the Doctor hesitated a brief second, revelling in the feel of the vortex within him, knowing in that moment every thought that ever crossed Rose Tyler's mind, before lowering her to the ground and releasing the energy back to the TARDIS. Later, when his flesh would begin to burn, he would regret it only for a moment before losing himself in the knowledge of her seemingly endless love for him. When the sparkle reached her eyes once more, it would be the gaze of an all human Rose, and the loss of this life would be nothing short of worth every agonizing spasm._

His next regeneration saw her clearly; the need to be near her mum, the need to hold his hand, the need to be loved - a human child at her most vulnerable, and he couldn't help himself. Her hand fit so perfectly into his that he couldn't stop himself from reaching out to her any moment possible, and if that meant a few extra trips into London to visit Jackie, he'd be punching in the destination before she could even ask. She'd wrapped her arms around him freely, time and again; she'd seen past all the darkness, and saw who he'd become. His world had been destroyed, his family reduced to ash, and in the wake of it all stood a little girl willing to offer up the same sacrifice in exchange for nothing more than to stay with him. Rose Tyler was prepared to suffer the curse of loneliness, of isolation, of never, not ever being able to see her beloved mum again just to hold his hand.

"Why's it so hard, Doctor?"

He looked up, brushing a lock of red hair from his eyes, taking in the slight form in front of him who had yet to turn back. "What's that?"

"Why's it so hard for you to trust me?"

"Silly girl, of course I trust you!"

She turned then, her dark eyes glowing amber, illuminating the shadows cast by her cloak. "You took my hand when I was a child and showed me the universe, and once I saw it you never stopped trying to leave me behind. So, why's it so hard?"

"_I'm supposed to go," He tried not to watch as the realization of what was happening began to set in, the look of imminent betrayal clouding Rose's beautiful dark eyes. _

"_Yeah," Keep it light, don't let the pain show, don't let her see even for a second how badly this hurts._

"_To another world and then it gets sealed off?" It wasn't so much a question, but her heart was breaking as he continued working, barely looking at her as he prepared to send her away._

"_Yeah," That time it's a little harder, but if he shows any hesitation, she'll never go. He buries the panic sending his hearts out of rhythm and ignores the nausea turning his flesh pale._

"_Forever," Her disbelief rang through in that simple word, and this time he couldn't acknowledge what she was asking. The pain forced at least one of his hearts into his throat so he looked away, barely registering her distinct Tyler scoff. "That's not gonna happen."_

_The Doctor was betraying his own soul as he slipped behind her, watching as the family argued, knowing he was going to keep his promise to Jackie one last time._

"_We've got no time to argue! The plan works we're going!"_

"_No, I'm not leaving him,"_

"_I'm not going without her," _

"_We've got to get going!"_

"_I've had twenty years without you, so fasten it! I'm not leaving her!"_

"_You've got to!"_

"_But that's tough!"_

"_Mum, I've had a life with you for nineteen years but then I met the Doctor and all the things I've seen him do for me, for you, for all of us, for the whole stupid planet and every planet out there and he does it alone, Mum, but not anymore… because now he's got me!"_

_Forcing his way past the pain, past the vice gripping at both his hearts, he slipped the transponder over her head and sent her through the void without so much as a goodbye. Even when Gallifrey burned, he couldn't remember ever having felt the agony ripping through him being as sharp as it was in that moment. Once again he'd betrayed someone who laid all her trust in him. Once again he'd destroyed everything he held dear and left himself alone in the universe. Did he honestly expect to live through this? At this point, did he honestly care?_

"_I think this is the on switch."_

_His hearts lurched back into motion the moment she reappeared, time fell back into place, the universes realigned and all was right once more. Except now it was going to be Rose left alone, the Doctor without Gallifrey, Rose Tyler without her mum. How selfish could he be and not be punished any further?_

"_Once the bridge collapses that's it! You'll never be able to see her again, your own mother!" Let her think he's angry. Make her think she's done wrong. This is it, one last attempt, give her one last chance to walk away._

"_I made my choice a long time ago and I'm never gonna leave you. So, what can I do to help?"_

_It hit him that second exactly what she'd been trying to say while they were stuck on that ghastly impossible planet… Gallifrey may be gone, but his home was wherever Rose Tyler existed. He knew, just knew, no matter what, they'd win this fight, together._

Looking at her now, innocent girl, Bad Wolf, old witch, the Doctor found himself all at once at a loss for words. How did he put voice to a concept so new and unfamiliar? He had always had companions, women, men, tin dogs - until Rose they were just that, companions. When it came time to leave them behind, he walked away and never looked back. Rose was not the first to have loved him - Sarah Jane had admitted to just that the first time they'd been reunited so many years ago. Martha left partially because he never would have been able to return her love, not the way she wanted. Amy never really loved him that way, but for a few uncomfortable days he was honestly concerned she may try to devour him. Rose? Rose knew all his secrets; she knew of Gallifrey, she knew what he brought out in people, she was there through his darker days and his discovery days. The Doctor chuckled. She even lasted through his tasting days.

Drawing a deep breath the Doctor moved across the rocks now bathed in shadow and sat down beside his beautiful Rose, reaching a hand out and interlacing his fingers with hers. Oh, how he'd missed her warmth and how even in this body they fit perfectly together. His own selfishness had brought him here, had brought him back to her, had reawakened old pain and ancient questions. He hadn't thought through his actions, hadn't determined the consequences, all he could think of was seeing her again not the damage it would do if he couldn't fulfil her expectations.

"What is it you want from me, Rose?"

She smiled softly, tracing his cool fingers with her own. "Whatever it is you can give me."

"And what if it isn't what you've been waiting on?"

She shrugged, sucking her lip between her teeth, her smile dimming but not disappearing. "At the very least I'd have an answer."

He raised her hand and pressed his lips against her warm skin, revelling in the taste of her. He sighed softly. After all she's been through and all that's yet to come, after four hundred years of sitting on a beach waiting, and after loving him forever without question, Rose Tyler deserved so much more.

Instead, sitting beside her was a broken down old Time Lord, last of his species, without family, friend or home, afraid to answer the simplest of all questions.

**Come away oh human child**

**To the waters and the wild**

**With a fairy hand in hand**

**For the world's more full of weeping**

**Than you can understand.**

TBC~~~ one last time.


	7. When You Are Old

**A/N: Once again so sorry this took so long to update, but here it is at last, the final piece to When The Bough Breaks. Hopefully it's what you wanted to read, and hopefully you enjoy it, I would love to hear from the lot of you as you finish as an author can't improve if she doesn't know what she's doing right and wrong. This fiction was never meant to be quite this long, and certainly should not have taken three months to write, but it had a life of it's own. Here's to a great three months, regardless.**

**Disclaimer: I so obviously don't own Doctor Who; I just like to borrow the characters and mutate their inner voices. Please don't sue, my house is small, my car is useless and my dogs are pains in the arse, but they're all I have. The chapter title and poem in this is W.B. Yeats' When You Are Old. Don't judge me, I'm a Yeats addict.**

**When the Bough Breaks**

**Part 7: When You Are Old**

**By Danae Bowen**

_When you are old and grey and full of sleep_

_And nodding by the fire_

_Take down this book and slowly read_

_And dream of the soft look your eyes had once and of their shadows deep._

/~~~/

_The first nineteen years of my life nothing happened, nothing at all, not ever. And then I met a man called the Doctor._

"_Run."_

_A man who could change his face. And he took me away from home in his magical machine. He showed me the whole of time and space. I thought it would never end._

"_How long are you gonna stay with me?"_

"_Forever."_

_That's what I thought._

_/~~~/_

How many nights had he lain awake, watching the stars fly by in the darkness, wishing he were on one that would take him back to the arms of Rose Tyler? How many books had he poured through, texts dissected, theories analyzed with the thought that one would show him how to pass through the universes and feel her hand in his once more. How many companions had looked at him with the same love and adoration as Rose, only to have him turn away because the love didn't come from the one he'd lost. Blonde hair, dark eyes, contagious smile. How much time had he spent wishing to see her once more, only to be standing here now, undecided.

What decision was there to make anyway? Take her hand, walk down the rocks and across the beach, open the doors to the TARDIS and bring her home. All very simple tasks, all leading back to the moments in time he felt most at peace. All leading back to the time that put him in danger of forgiving himself for the loss of Gallifrey, allowing him to move on from the loss of his family, forcing him to contemplate the future instead of dwelling on the past. With Rose Tyler the Oncoming Storm had been in danger of becoming a spring shower - fear replaced with comfort, loathing replaced with love, distance replaced with belonging. All he had to do was reach out and take her hand.

_How many loved your moments of glad grace_

_And loved your beauty with love false or true?_

_But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you_

_And loved the sorrows of your changing face._

He moved to kneel in front of her, taking her hands into his own, looking up into the dark eyes that had seen so much and yet failed to change. Four hundred years of knowledge and experience looked back at him, but beneath the soft amber glow sparkled the eyes of the teenaged girl he'd loved so deeply.

"What do you say, Rose Tyler, you think we could give the Face of Boe some competition in longevity?" Decision made, his green eyes now sparkled mischievously.

The soul shattering grin that broke across her face pierced through his chest and directly to his hearts. A gentle glow radiated from her, growing brighter with each passing moment as his words began to sink in. The darkness encroaching from the setting sun was pushed back from the sheer brilliance of her joy, and for the first time in four hundred and sixty seven years, Rose Tyler launched herself forward and threw her arms tightly around her Doctor.

Playfully the Doctor untangled himself from her choking hug and pulled his sunglasses back down over his eyes. Through the shadows he winked at her. "You're not going to do that every time I give you good news, are you? I rather like these eyes. Shame if they were to go blind in the light." He paused. "Also would be rather inconvenient when we've found ourselves in a tight spot. You all glowing - hard to get past guards that way." His lips tugged upwards and he found himself pulled back towards her as she curled her body into his and buried her face into his neck.

Long moments passed as they paused in their plateau; brilliant glowing girl wrapped in the arms of an alien who'd lived a millennia. They failed to notice they had an audience; young Stanley Black watched from the shoreline, grinning from ear to ear as his old girl lit up the horizon. Somewhere deep in his young mind he recognized his days as companion to the old witch were over, but he couldn't fight the infectious happiness that flowed over him in waves, bringing a huge grin to his little face. He climbed the rocky pathway to the house slowly, ensuring he not interrupt the two strange beings as they slowly began to break apart. By the time he reached the base of the ridge they sat upon, the light had faded to a warm glow and Rose and the Doctor had climbed to their feet.

"Come out of the darkness, Stanley," Rose grinned at the Doctor, not yet turning to face the surprised boy standing twenty feet back.

"I'm sorry, miss, didn't wanna interrupt." Stanley looked to his feet, shifting back and forth uncomfortably. "Didn't mean to spy or nothin' if that's what you're thinkin'."

"I'm leaving tonight, Stanley," Rose turned her smiling eyes onto the little boy, sending an aura of warmth and love to soften the pain of separation. "And I've a job for you, if you think you're up to it."

The young lad straightened with purpose, his eyes set and determined. "O'course. Anything you need."

She moved towards him, placing her hands lightly on his shoulders, turning him to face her glass house. "Someone needs to watch the house while I'm gone off with the Doctor. Inside is a very special box, and it'll need someone to protect it and keep it safe."

Stanley grinned widely. "The blue box in your center room. I know, I've seen 'er."

"Also, someone is going to need to collect the supplies dropped off. It's an unending contract, you see. For as long as the box is protected, the family 'cross the lake'll be paid. As long as they're paid, the food 'n supplies'll keep coming, yeah?" She smiled softly as comprehension dawned on the boy's face.

"Y'mean my family can have all the food 'n stuff? For free? Forever?"

"As long as you protect the house and don't let anyone in to take or harm the box, there will always be more than enough for you and your family to live. When you're old enough, this house is yours to live in if you like. I may come back some day, I may not, but as long as this house and that box are waiting for me, you'll never want for anything again. Fair enough?"

Rose laughed as the boy wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing his face against her, holding her tightly as he shook with excitement. "Da's not gonna believe it! Mum's gonna fall right over! You've no idea how much this means!"

She hugged the boy back tightly and dropped a light kiss onto his head. "Go on, then, Stanley Black. Go home and tell your mum what your kindness in helping me has brought for your family."

"G'bye, miss!" he called quickly, turning on his heel, his sorrow at the loss of his mysterious friend overwhelmed by the joy he was about to bring home to his family. With his dad out of work and four little mouths besides his to feed, what Rose had given him would change their lives, forever.

"You've done a good thing, Rose Tyler," The Doctor moved up behind her, wrapping his arms around her, whispering softly into her ear.

"He's a good boy, with a good family. I know what it's like to live without, yeah? In the years before you. Things're hard around these parts, have been for years. Hopefully they'll share what they have with other families, and this area can start to grow again."

"Still saving the world after all these years," he grinned, holding her tight.

"Some things'll never change," she leaned her head back against him, and together they watched as Stanley disappeared into the shadows of the night.

"And you've no idea how grateful I am in this moment for that very fact."

She turned in his arms, unable to stop the smile from lifting the corners of her lips as she looked into his unfamiliar eyes and brushed a lock of unfamiliar hair from his forehead. He was so young in this body, no more than twenty five by human standards, certainly not the rough northern forty something she'd fallen for, or the idiosyncratic thirty something with attention deficit that had run away with her heart. No, this Doctor was all of them and more, and her heart suddenly fell back into place, beating a steady rhythm in her chest as she lost herself in the sight of him. Behind those eyes was the man she loved with every molecule in her body and every shard of her soul.

With an abrupt shift, gone was the uncertain teenager he'd watched grow into a woman, and in her place stood a gentle being that had lived for centuries knowing exactly what she wanted. She leaned forward, not willing to wait on him any longer, and pressed her lips to his in a kiss that had been coming since the beginning of time. Soft and familiar met rough and new, his fingers threaded into her hair pulling her tight up against him as he almost instantly responded by forcing his tongue past their lips and into the warm cavern of her waiting mouth. He felt more than heard the whimper that escaped her and he deepened the kiss, tongue gently exploring, before pulling back a breaths space and watching as colour flooded her pale flesh. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, her warm breath heating his cool skin as she flushed, and when no further kiss came she forced her eyes open to meet his once more.

"Hello, Rose Tyler," he whispered, thumbs brushing up the sides of her face softly.

"Hello, Doctor," she smiled, tongue peeking out of the corner of her mouth.

"I've this machine, yeah? Travels through space and time, and every so often I ask one of the best people to come with me on a fantastic adventure." His green eyes sparkled, mirth reflected in her own brown depths.

"Really? Sounds brilliant."

"Oh, it is. Was thinking maybe you'd like to help take her out for a spin." He paused. "Anywhere you like, ladies choice."

"We never did get to Barcelona,"

"Ooh, you're right. Dogs with no noses, told you all about it and never followed through. What kind of man am I, then?" He grinned.

She lifted an eyebrow, sliding a lock of his ginger hair through her fingers. "Reckon we'll have to find out, yeah?"

His grin grew wider, "Reckon we'll have a bit of fun trying."

"Promise?"

The smile dropped from his lips and his gaze turned serious as he took a step backwards, taking her hands into his. "I'll promise you the sun and the moon and all the stars in the sky, Rose Tyler. All you ever have to do is ask."

"I'm asking, Doctor."

"Then I'm promising."

Rose turned on her heel and walked back to her house with a purpose. She stepped through the glass doors, past the glass walls, and into the center room which housed her TARDIS. The key to the wooden door hung around her neck, coupled with the key to the Doctor's TARDIS that she'd never had the chance to return. She opened the door and reached out to the bag sitting directly beside the doors; with a swing it was on her shoulder, the door to her TARDIS locked and she was back outside with the Doctor. She quickly set the electronic lock to her house, noting it to allow passage only to Stanley Black and those who shared his DNA; with that, all that had been her life for four centuries was secured and ready to be left behind. Hand in hand they started the short walk back to the TARDIS, returning to the home they both loved so well.

"_They keep on trying to split us up, but they never ever will."_

The Doctor paused, spinning Rose back around and into his arms. Shadows of the past suddenly causing his heart to miss a beat.

"How long are you going to stay with me?"

He swallowed with difficulty, needing to hear the answer.

She simply shrugged, offering him a soft smile. "Forever."

"The first time you told me forever, it had a whole different meaning." He licked his lips nervously, his eyes dead serious. "This time, forever is forever. You 'n me against the universe. If we do this again, if we say this again," he swallowed, "If we start this again, there's no going back. Forever is forever."

She didn't want to hurt him, but Rose couldn't help the giggle rising in her throat. Her laughter escaped her lips even as she raised a hand to his face, stroking a thumb across his cheek. "I waited four hundred years for you to come back to me, I'm pretty sure I understand the definition of forever, yeah?" She shook her head, laughing again as she turned back towards the TARDIS bouncing ahead of the Doctor a few steps before spinning to face him, allowing her brilliant light to shine one last time across the white sands of Dårlig Ulv Stranden. "Don't you understand yet, my Doctor? I love you."

A relieved grin took over his face as he doubled his pace in order to catch up with her. "Silly girl, in love with a daft old alien."

"Silly old alien, in love with an ugly old witch." She raised an eyebrow pointedly, leaving the sentence hanging between them even as she reached for his hand.

He spun her back into his arms and pressed a soft kiss to her lips even as his eyes sparkled their merriment. "Don't ever doubt it. Made for each other, we were, my dear Rose Tyler." He winked at her. "Something else that will never, ever change."

"Never say never ever, Doctor."

He kissed her once more before opening the door to the TARDIS and escorting her inside. "Never ever, never never ever, never never never ever gonna leave you behind again. The Doctor and Rose Tyler, travelling the universe together forever as it should be."

Time could change so many things, so very quickly. Three hours ago they'd each been alone, dreaming of the other. Three hours from now they'd be wrapped in a single sheet, legs entwined, skin damp, dreaming of their future together. In this moment, however, in this very second, reality seemed so much better than dreams as the door closed behind them and they turned into each others embrace allowing the elusive feeling of home to wash over them.

_And bending down beside the glowing bars_

_Murmur a little sadly how love fled_

_And paced upon the mountains overhead_

_And hid his face amid a crowd of stars._

~~~~~Fin


End file.
